The French word étagère meaning stand, combines both the qualities of the English dumb waiter and the whatnot put together. They usually had two or three tiers and was used for displaying objects or for serving food.
In some cases the top tier could be removed and used as a tray and casters and handles on the lower tier enable the piece to be pulled around a room. French etageres were more highly decorated than British ones. By the 1860s there was a large variety of different designs available, from ones that had ormolu mounts, gilding, motifs and Rococo curves and scrolls. the english antique furniture was usually more simple
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